Automatic alarm



1 SWANBERG. AuToMATlc ALARM.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 13, 1,919.

1,415,207. Patented Mays), 1922.

J. SWANBERG.

AUTOMATIC ALARM. APPLICATION mgm mm3, mp9.

Patented May 9 1922 7 2 SHEETS+SMEET 2.

f S T T S JULIUS SWANBERG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NO TO FABART INSTRUMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS. i

AUTOMATIC ALARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Iatented May 9, 1922.

Application led January 13, 1919. Serial No. 270,798. I

To all whom t 'mag/concern y Be it known that I, JULIUS SWANBERG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in an Automatic Alarm; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

Alarmv bells or gongs at present in use for the purpose of automatically giving an alarm incase of fire, are usually constructed of a number of separated devices which are placed in different locations and electrically connected. In such instruments the alarm bell is frequently mounted in a convenient place outside of the room o'r building wherein a thermostatically controlled mechanism is mounted, so that incase of lire in said room .ort building the thermostatic mechanism will operate the distant alarm bell. This type of alarm mechanism is intricate and expensive and the cost of installingthe same is also considerable.l

This invention relates to a self contained improved type of a fire alarm gong adapted to be conveniently mounted directly in the room or place to be protected against lires, and further adapted to be readilyset Iso that-the gong will be operated automatically whena predetermined temperaturehas been reached.

It is an object' of this invention to construct a self contained automatic fire alarm bell.

It is also an object of the inventionto provide an alarm bell adapte'dto be readily mounted in a room or structure tov vbe protectedagainst lires, said alarm bell adapted to be` manually set and automatically released when a predetermined temperature is reached.

Another object of the invention is lthe construction of a single automatic fire alarm adapted to be set to ring as soon as a thermostatic 'look-ing connection forming a part of the alarm has been broken.

A further object of the invention is the construction of an valarm bell having a locking plate soldered in position andadapted to be released lto permit the bell to ringwlien a v-ternperature has been yreachedwhich-is sufiicient t o melt the solder which locks the plate 1n position. l

It is furthermore an object of this invention to provide a compact automatic alarm mechanism adapted to be installed directly in a place which is -to be safeguarded against fires, said alarm mechanism having a locking means for holding the alarm spring against movement until a predetermined temperature has been reachedwhich is `suliicient to fuse the solder holding the locking means against movement.

It is an important object of this invention to provide an alarm bell with a fusible locking material adapted to normally hold the bell operating mechanism locked against operation until a predetermined temperature has been reached which yis sulicient to melt thelocking material to release the bell operating mechanisms, to permitringing of the bell.

Othery and further important objects of this invention will appear from the disclosures in the drawings and specification.

The invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

v 0n the drawings:

Figure l is a front elevation of an alarm bell embodying the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged side view thereof showing the casing in section to disclose the operating mechanisms.

Figure 3 is an enlarged section taken on' line 3 3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4: is a sectional view taken o n line 4 4, of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5 5, of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is asectional view taken on line 6 6, of Figure 3,

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken on 'line 7 7, of Figure 3.

Figure 8 is an enlarged front end View of the mounting for the locking plate mechanism which controls the alarm mechanism.

Figure 9 is a plan view of the locking plate mechanism removed from the device.

As shown on the drawings The reference numeral '1, indicates a boX or casing having integrally formed on the back thereof anupwardlylprojecting apertured lug 2, and a downwardly projecting 1 shaft l5, journalled in a sleeve 16.

aperturedlug 3, to permitthe alarm mechanism to be rigidly mounted in position upon a wall or other suitable support by screws or other means. Secured within the casing 1, is a vertical bracket 4, and journalled in bearing secured thereto is one end oi' stub or spring shaft 5, the other end oi which is on therear end of a pin shaft 10, j ournalled in abearing 11, supported by the bracket 4. Secured on the front end of the pin shaftlO, and'in i'rontvof the bracket 4, is another large gear 12, which meshes with a small gear 13, keyed upon 'the reduced inner end 14 a i he sleeve 16, has the rear end thereof supported in the 'iront wall el the casing 1. Asr clearly shown in Figure 3, the 'lront end et the shaft 15, is-reduced to provide a flat tongue or tip 17. Securelupon the inner end 14, ot the shaft, 15, between the iront casing wall and the small gear 13, is an escapement mechanism embracing a ratchet wheel 18, and an escapement pinion 19, the operation oit which is controlled by means of an oscillating mechanism comprising a pendulum 20, having two opposite andy upwardly directed horns or arms 21, the ends ofwhich are po' sitioned to be alternatelycontacted by the teeth of the escapement pinion 19, as shown in Figure 5. The upper end of the pendulum is pivotally mounted on a pivot pin 22, secured to the lower portion of the bracket 4.

A hell hammer or striker 23, is pivotally mounted on the front surface of the casing 1, by means of a pivot pin 24. To limit the outward swing of the hammer 23, a stop pin 25, is secured on the front wall ofr'rthecasing. j

Secured on the inner end of the irstpin 24, and to the inside of the front casing wall, is a pawl 26, held in engagement with the teeth. of the ratchet wheel 18, by means. of a coiled spring 27, one end o'l which is secured to the front casing wall, while the other end o1 said spring is attached to the outer end of an arm 28, which is integrally connected to the pivot end oi the pawl 26.

'.lheitront end of the sleeve 16, is reduced and threaded to receive a bell or a gong 29, removably threaded thereon. Rigidly secured on the front middle portion orn the bell 29, is anelongated metal plate 30, yhaving rigidly secured near the upper and lower ends of the front thereof, two insulating posts 31, each of which is provided with an integral flange 32. `The posts 31, are non- `conductors of heat.

The bell spring 6, is adapted to be wound up by` means oit' a wrench or 'other suitable tool which fits on the Iextending tongue 17, of the shaft 15. `When the spring` is sutilciently wound, the tool is removed and a locking mechanism is slipped into place on the insulating posts 31, and over the tongue 17. rlihe locking mechanism comprises a centrally apertured plate 33, having integral apertured lugs ork 'extensions 34, thereon, through which the posts 31, project. A. lock ing: plate or disk 35, provided with -a rectangular slot 36, is secured centrally ongthe outersuriiaee or" the plate 33, vby 4means of solder adapted to fuse or melt at a predeter` mined temperature. The locking disk 35, covers the central opening in the plate33, and permits the rectangular tongue 17, of the shaft 15, to project through the rectangular slot `36, to hold said shaft andthe spring 6, locked against rotation, and thereby preventingl ringing oit the bell 29.

rPhe operation is as follows:y A

-The plate 33 and the lockingdisk 35, of the locking mechanism arel both made ot thin metal adapted lto readily Aabsorb heat.

' other desired place which is to be protected against lire'. The apertured, lugs 2 and 3,

TN-ith the alarm assembled as; shown in permit mounting screws to be engaged 'v therethrough for securing the alarm in place. ,By removing the locking mechanism from the pests 31, a tool may be engaged on the tongue 17, of the shaft 15. The bell spring.

6, is wound by rotatingthe shaft `15, which in turn rotates the small gear 13, and the large gear 12. `Rotation of the gear 12, acts to rotate the small gear 9, which being in vmesh with the winding gear 8, rotates the same. and the spring shait, on which it is keyed. The power spring 6, is thus wound up to any desired amount to permit the bell 29, to ring for either a short or a long period.

the tool is removed from, engagement with the shaft tongue 17, and the locking mechan? Vism is slipped into place on the posts 31,.

Whenthe spring 6, is sufficiently wound, -1

flanges 32', forming a part of said p0sts31.

It a fire should break out in a placeequipped with an automatic audible alarm signal as herein described, the heat resulting from the burning material will, when lreaching a predetermined temperature, cause the solder holding the locking disk 35, securedtothe plate 33, to fuse or-melt, thereby permitting the stressed or wound spring 6, to exert its force and unwind. The gear mechanisms are thus set into operation, and drive Vthe shaftl15. Rotationr of the shaft 15, causes alarm. Rotation of the shaft 15, also rotates the escapement pinion 19,*the operation of which is controlled by the pendulum 20, the

arms 2l, of which are alternately contactedv by the teeth ofthe pinion 19.l The escapement mechanism thus serves to prevent the spring 6, from exerting its force too rapidly and permits the hammer mechanismto intermittently strike the bell until the alarm is stopped or the spring has run down.

The alarm mechanism described is automatic andself-contained, and may readily be mounted and set by an inexperienced person. The solder used to hold the locking disk 35, secured to the plate- 33, may be composed so that the same will melt at any temperature-desired to permit rele-ase of the beel ringing mechanisms. l

I am aware that various changes may be made, and numerous details of construction may be varied without departing from the principles of this invention, and I therefore do not purpose limiting the patent granted, otherwise than necessitated by the prior art. f

I claimas my invention:

l. An automatic alarm comprising a bell, means for ringing the same, a spring for operating said ringing means, escapement means for controlling the operation of said spring, a shaft for supporting said bell and for winding said spring, a tongue formed on the outer end of said shaft, a plate secured on said bell, insulating posts in said plate, a

second plate supported on said ypostshaving anv opening therein through which said tongue projects, a disk having a rectangular slot therein for. receiving said tongue, and solder for holding said disk secured to said second plate to hold said shaft. and said spring locked against operation, said solder adapted to fuse when a predetermined temperature has been reached to automatically release said disk from said second plate to permit said springy to operate said ringing means to ring the bell.

2. A shaft, driving mechanism therefor, a disk mounted on the shaft to rotate therewith, an alarm operated by said shaft when driven by said mechanism, a thermally insulated plate free from said shaft,-and temperaturel controlled means for securing said disk to said plate. n

An alarm, a spring driven shaft for actuating said alarm, a disk mounted on said shaft near the end thereof to rotate therewith, the portion of the shaft between said disk and the main body of the shaft being of smaller cross-section than the main body of said shaft, a plate, means for supporting said plate, free from said shaft, a fusible means securing said disk to said plate, and thermal insulation between said plateand said supporting means.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.`

J ULIUS SWANBERG. 

